Crisis Response

Supporting Syrians and the region

After more than six years of crisis, the situation in Syria and the region is worsening. There is increased fighting and violence on the ground and little progress towards a political solution.

Civilians inside Syria, as well as those forced to flee and communities hosting them bear the brunt.

Since the onset of the crisis in 2011, hundreds of thousands have been killed, and today 13.5 million people in Syria are in urgent need of humanitarian support, protection and livelihoods. Over 5 million people have taken refuge in neighbouring countries, whose generosity is coming at great cost and where risks of instability are mounting.

Together UN agencies, funds and programmes work with donors, NGO partners, faith-based organizations and the private sector to save lives, enhance protection and build resilience in response to this protracted crisis.

What does UNDP do in Syria?

At UNDP we lead on supporting vulnerable communities through local development programmes that help build resilience as this crisis continues to threaten every aspect of well-being.

Inside Syria, UNDP focuses on local projects to create emergency jobs, support livelihoods and restore critical community infrastructure for all Syrians, with a focus on supporting the most vulnerable, including woman-headed households and youth. This support helps build community resilience and improve the living conditions of both internally displaced and host communities inside Syria, which in turn allows humanitarian support to have a stronger impact on people’s lives. In 2016 alone we touched the lives of over 2.3 million Syrians through rehabilitation and jobs programmes.

What does UNDP do in neighbouring countries?

In countries neighbouring Syria, UNDP supports highly-strained and vulnerable host communities to cope with the influx of refugees by improving infrastructure, and boosting local economic and employment opportunities. We especially focus on vulnerable groups, such as young people, those with disabilities and women.

In Lebanon, we have already supported over 140 vulnerable communities and reached more than 1.5 million people with job opportunities, basic services, and support for social cohesion, approximately three-quarters of them Lebanese and the rest refugees from Syria. In Jordan, one of our focuses is supporting entrepreneurs to create businesses that address social problems while also putting money in people’s pockets – often for the first time. So far we’ve helped over 20,000 people boost livelihoods through this work.

In Turkey, UNDP’s support to municipalities with service delivery, including waste management, has benefitted over 120,000 people. UNDP has also supported the creation of over 2,000 jobs following the establishment of an organic oil processing facility. Over 5,442 Syrians attended vocational training courses in more than 20 different occupations, basic life skills training and Turkish language trainings; 62 percent of participants are female.

UNDP’s development approach focuses on building resilience and ensuring that communities not only recover from the crisis but also improve the longer-term, sustainable development prospects needed to move toward a lasting peace.

UNDP is committed to providing the very best support we can to help governments and host communities in the region build resilience in the face of one of the world’s most pressing crisis. Support our programme to ensure a sustainable response to a protracted crisis.